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The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is calling on the Transportation Department to wait for a Justice Department recommendation before approving greater trans-Atlantic cooperation between American Airlines and British Airways. "We hope that you will consider this application very carefully and give appropriate regard to the expertise of the Department of Justice on the [effects] of the alliance," wrote Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., in a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

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The Transportation Department said Tuesday that it will accept public comments on a proposed tie-up between American Airlines and British Airways through Jan. 11. The extended comment period allows a ruling on the airlines' antitrust immunity early next year, following Monday's report from the Justice Department that called for additional restrictions on the trans-Atlantic alliance.

The Transportation Department said Tuesday it will accept public comments on a proposed tie-up between American Airlines and British Airways through Jan. 11. The extended comment period allows a ruling on the airlines' antitrust immunity early next year, following Monday's report from the Justice Department that called for additional restrictions on the trans-Atlantic alliance.

The Senate's two top antitrust watchdogs have urged the Transportation and Justice departments to take a closer look at the proposed tie-up between American Airlines and British Airways. Sens. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, stressed that they were not taking a position "on the ultimate merits of this application," but said increased cooperation on trans-Atlantic routes could raise "significant competition issues." While American pilots were set to picket Wednesday at the Transportation Department, the Air Transport Association reinforced its support of the airline's planned alliance. "Antitrust immunized alliances have enabled international airline alliances to generate important benefits for travelers through better service and lower fares," the group said in a statement.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is calling on the Transportation Department to wait for a Justice Department recommendation before approving greater trans-Atlantic cooperation between American Airlines and British Airways. "We hope that you will consider this application very carefully and give appropriate regard to the expertise of the Department of Justice on the effects of the alliance," wrote Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., in a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Though British Airways declined to comment, a spokeswoman for American Airlines says DOT "has a long history of dealing with aviation antitrust issues, and [we] have confidence that it will provide the appropriate level of oversight."

The Department of Transportation is requiring American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and the other airlines involved in the requested alliance to provide additional information. For example, the DOT has asked for "information regarding facility and slot access, fare and enplanement data, and passenger preference analyses, for U.S.-U.K. airport pairs, in particular New York and London airports."